Westwood Regional Board of Education

1. Westwood Regional Board of Education 2008-2009 Budget Presentation Geoffrey W. Zoeller, Jr. Superintendent of Schools Keith A. Rosado Business Administrator March 27, 2008

2. Westwood Regional Mission Statement “To provide excellence in education through rich and diverse learning opportunities, enabling students to exercise intelligent control of their future.”

3. Board of Education Eileen Mosolino (WW) - President Charles Koch (WT) -Vice President Donna Firriolo - (WW) Barbara Gregory - (WT) Roberta Hanlon - (WW) Bernadette Koski - (WT) Paul Liddy - (WT) Carol Mountain - (WW) Lee-Ann Schaadt - (WW) Geoffrey W. Zoeller, Jr. - Superintendent of Schools Keith A. Rosado - Business Administrator

4. Where can I get more information? Visit us at www.wwrsd.org for a copy of the Budget Presentation and for additional information. The Budget Book will be available at the following locations: Board of Education Office at 701 Ridgewood Rd, Twp. of Washington Westwood Public Library Twp. of Washington Public Library Westwood Borough Hall Twp. of Washington Town Hall Important Budget Dates • April 4th - WCTV Budget Presentation (8:00 P. M.) • April 7th - Cardinal Connection special Budget Edition • April 7th - Board of Education Candidates Night - 7:00 P.M. Hurley Theatre • April 15th - BOE Elections and Budget Vote - 2:00 - 9:00 P.M. • E-mail the Superintendent for more information at gzoeller@wwrsd.org

5. Facility Upgrades 2007-08 Jr./Sr. High School - Reclaimed Office and Conference Room Space $9,450 - Locker Replacements in Team Room $2,200 - Stairwell Project $7,350 - Tree Maintenance $1,700 Brookside - Interior Painting $2,000 - Carpet Removal and Tile Installation $113,000 Berkeley - Removal of Trees $2,110 George - Playground Upgrade $6,200 Ketler - Built Custom Stair System for Football Field $500 Washington - Rescreened torn window screens $900

6. The 2008-09 Budget Continues to Support • Elementary/Upper Elementary Schools • Writing workshop in every building • Instrumental music starting in grade 4 • Accelerated math starting in grade 6 • Wireless laptop carts and Smart Room technologies • Gifted and Talented programs • Guidance counselor for grades 5-6 • Increased Physical Education for grades K-6 • Reintroduced French in grades 5-6

7. The 2008-09 Budget Continues to Support • Jr./Sr. High School • Electives & additional Honors/Accelerated classes for grades 7-8 • Nearly 200 semester or full-year courses offered in grades 9-12 • 11 Advanced Placement courses for grades 9-12 • 19 Honors courses in various academic subjects for grades 9-12 • 2 modern languages offered for grades 7-12 • Excellent student-guidance counselor ratio for grades 7-12 • 14 clubs and organizations for grades 7-8 • 15 intramural and interscholastic teams for grades 7-8 • 36 clubs and organizations for grades 9-12 • 40 athletic teams for grades 9-12

8. Grade Clusters for 2005-06 MATHEMATICS State AssessmentsTOTAL STUDENTS Scoring Proficient and Advanced Proficient

9. Grade Clusters for 2005-06 LANGUAGE ARTS LITERACY State AssessmentsTOTAL STUDENTS Scoring Proficient and Advanced Proficient

10. College Admissions at Competitive SchoolsClass of 2007

11. Major External Budget Factors • Special Education • Out of District Tuition • Rising Costs • Transportation • State Aid • 6.77% State Aid • Cuts in Special Ed Funding • New formula provides no relief to Bergen County • Utilities • Estimate 15% increase for gas and electric • Estimate 10% increase for water • Insurance • Estimate 10% increase for general liability and • student accident insurance • Estimate 15% increase for workers comp

12. Budgeted Revenue

13. Westwood Regional Board of Education Budgeted Revenues 2008/2009

14. Westwood Regional School District’s State Aid Historical Analysis *The State Aid for the 2008-09 school year now includes Extraordinary Aid. The amount of this aid equates to $289,871 plus the 2% increase in state aid of $61,366 accounts for the difference.

15. Budgeted Appropriations

16. Westwood Regional Board of Education Budget Appropriations 2008/2009

17. Special Education Students Sent To Out of District Placements

18. Health Benefits Costs

19. Major Appropriation Increases/Decreases

20. Budget Impact For Average Home 2008-09 Borough of Westwood $17.39 / Month Township of Washington $15.65 / Month This is based on an average home assessed for Borough of Westwood of $395,691 Township of Washington of $548,000 Boro of Westwood percentage is 49.31% (up from 48.84%) Twp. of Washington percentage is 50.69% (down from 51.16%)

21. Tax Levy Allocation History

22. Proposed Tax Rateper $100,000 Assessed Value 2008-092007-08 Boro of Westwood $ 123.20 $ 117.94 Twp. of Washington $ 107.96 $ 104.65

23. Second Question The New Basics: Preparing the 21st Century Student • School Library/Media Specialist (2) • World Language Teacher (1) • Art Teacher (1) • Music Teacher (1)

24. The New Basics: Preparing the 21st Century Student • 21st Century Jobs • Some of today’s jobs did not exist 10 years ago. What new jobs will there be in 2018? • Why School Library/Media Specialist? • Direct instruction in technology • A building based instructional leader who will help our students access, evaluate, and create new information.

25. The New Basics: Preparing the 21st Century Student • Why World Language? • The world we live in has become a whole lot smaller. • Research has shown: • Children who have studied a foreign language in the elementary grades achieve higher scores on standardized testing. • Learning a second language also improves children's understanding of their native language. • Children who study a foreign language show greater cognitive development than many of their peers. • Young children learn languages with great enthusiasm. • Why Art and Music? • Research has shown: • Children involved in arts and music achieve higher scores on standardized testing. • The arts reach students who are not otherwise being reached. • Self-esteem improves. • The arts provide new challenges for those students already considered successful. • The arts connect learning experiences to the world of real work.

26. Full Day Kindergarten Nearly 70% of Bergen County districts already have full day kindergarten Presently we are piloting two sections Expand full day to every school Still keep extended day option

27. 2008-09 Increase On Average Home For Second Question Borough of Westwood $2.74 / Month Township of Washington $3.33 / Month This is based on an average home assessed for Borough of Westwood of $395,691 Township of Washington of $548,000 Boro of Westwood percentage is 49.31% Twp. of Washington percentage is 50.69%

28. The Bottom Line… • The Proposed Budget calls for: • A 3.65% increase in the operating budget • A 3.95% overall increase (including the December 11th • Debt Service) • All existing programs and services will be maintained • The 2nd Question will increase the budget by 0.62% • Enhancement of all elementary programs • Further expansion of the Full-Day Kindergarten Model • The second question is subject to the “Super Majority” law, which requires 60% affirmation of the voters.

29. Q & A Remember to Vote - April 15th 2:00 P.M. - 9:00 P.M.